Noah is a 6 month old boy with clubfoot. Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inwards and downwards.

Noah sitting with his boots and bar

The treatment for this involves surgeries and requires Noah to wear a pair of boots that are held apart by a bar. This treatment is supposed to last for about 4 years. His mom was hoping that having a little friend that also had to wear a set of boots and bar would help him on this journey.

Noah with his best friend Beans

Here is my version of the boots and bar. The boots are crocheted and the bar is made from plastic canvas that I covered in grey yarn by needlepoint. I sewed the boots to the bar and the straps of the boots have Velcro on them to close the straps so they can be taken on and off.

Noah lives in the Buffalo area and is a Bills and Sabres fan so I made a shirt for the doll with each of the teams logos. I didn’t want Beans to feel left out so I made a couple of matching bandanas for him and included a squeaky fire hydrant too.

I’m glad I have a sewing machine that can do embroidery. With the software I have I was able to digitize the logos I needed and make them as small as I could to fit on the doll clothes.

The most rewarding part about making these dolls is to see the pictures I get from the family after the doll has arrived.

Noah gives his Mini Me a hug

In this next picture Noah is checking out the dolls boots and bar that are just like his.

Your boots look just like mine!

These Bills fans are ready for next season

Even though the Sabres aren’t having the best season a boy and his dog can still root them on.

Noah’s mom was very appreciative and sent a lovely email thanking me for making this doll for her special boy.

Making Feel Better Friends dolls has been a great way to use my crochet skills for charity work. If you know of a child with medical problems that you think would benefit from having a Mini Me to help them you can visit the Feel Better Friends website to request a doll. I am assigned to the northeast USA but I think you can request a specific crafter if you would like.

My first doll was for a “Little Boy M” that I can’t tell you much about or show any pictures of by request of his family. He is just under two years old and according to his bio loves dogs and cats.

I decided to make him a stuffed dog to go along with the doll.

The stuffed dog pattern is called “Patchwork Puppy” and is from the Crochet World April 2012 issue.

One of the things I found out since I did my test doll was that instead of making crochet eyes there was a machine embroidery that I could use. I love the way the eyes turned out and it’s so easy to make any color I need.

The hair for this doll was made using Knit Picks CotLin DK weight yarn that was first hooked into the scalp. To get the finer look to the hair I separated the strands of the yarn using a tapestry needle.

One of the challenges I had with this doll was that I wanted to sew his clothes so I could make an outfit similar to the one Little Boy M was wearing in the pictures I was sent. I downloaded the patterns from FBF but they were a bit too big for my doll. After a few attempts I finally had a pattern that would fit. The embroidery on his t-shirt is copied from the picture I had of Little Boy M.

I can tell you that Little Boy M and his family were very happy with their Feel Better Friend doll and his Patchwork Puppy.

My next FBF doll was for Viviauna a young girl with a variety of medical problems. I have permission from her mother to post her pictures.

Vivauna

Vivi’s doll

One of the challenges I had with this doll was that it is my first with a wig.

The elastic band holds the wig on.

My first attempt at the wig didn’t work out so well. The crocheted cap that I hooked the hair in became misshapen and I had to pull it all out and make a new cap. This time I made the cap a bit smaller and also put the hair in a little looser. As you can see it turned out great on my second attempt.

The reason this doll has a wig is because Viviauna is having surgery on her scull that will require all her hair to be shaved off. Along with the cute jumper I crocheted I also made a head band for the doll to wear when she has her wig off. I also added a scar like the one Viviauna will have after her procedure.

An ear to ear scar

To complete the items for Viviauna I added a head band for her to wear after her surgery.

Vivi’s doll with accessories

A few days after shipping off the doll with her accessories I received some pictures of her with her new friend.

I think her smile says it all.

Making Feel Better Friends dolls has been a great way to use my crochet skills for charity work. I already am well on my way to completing my next doll for a little boy. If you know of a child with medical problems that you think would benefit from having a Mini Me to help them you can visit the Feel Better Friends website to request a doll. I am assigned to the northeast USA but I think you can request a specific crafter if you would like.

Hi everyone it’s Cindy here. Today I’m joining the Hookin on Hump Day blog hop to tell you about a new volunteer organization I’m working for. In the October 2017 issue of Crochet World Magazine they had an article about a non-profit organization called Feel Better Friends (FBF).

According to their website, “Feel Better Friends are handmade dolls stuffed with love and well wishes, crafted by volunteers and donated to children battling cancer and other illnesses.” I’ve enjoyed making amigurumi crochet figures so I thought this would be a great way for me use my crochet hobby to help others.

In order to become a volunteer for this group you have to create a test doll. The first thing I had to do was find a child to make a doll for. My grand nephew is a bit young yet and I don’t have any other young children in my family. I finally remembered one of my friends that I get together with to crochet and knit had a 2 + year old grandson. Jan was more than happy to let me make a doll for Chase.

Meet Chase

I went over to her house one morning to meet Chase and take some reference pictures. He is a typical 2 + year old boy that is full of energy and exploring everything. I needed to pick up some yarn to match his skin color but everything else I needed I had in my stash.

After a few weeks of work I had the Chase doll done.

One of the things that took the longest was putting in the hair. Chase has a nice full head of hair so I wanted to give his doll the same. Each strand of hair was looped through the crochet stitches. Then I had to trim it like a hair dresser to get it to the right shape.

When I first handed the real Chase his doll his eyes got very big and he could tell it was just for him. I think you can tell by the look on his face that he liked it.

Chase, Grandma Jan & the Chase Doll

After giving Chase his doll I submitted pictures to the FBF volunteers in training Facebook group and was quickly admitted to the approved makers group (you don’t have to be on Facebook to volunteer though). I’m already working on my first official FBF doll for a beautiful little boy. Do to privacy concerns I probably won’t be able to tell you much about my future subjects but I hope to continue to show you the dolls.

If you enjoy making amigurumi and want to volunteer your talents you might want to give the Feel Better Friends a look. They make dolls for children all over the world and currently have a fairly lengthy waiting list. I look forward to bringing a smile to the face of lots of children that just need a hug and need someone to hug when they might not be feeling very well.

Hi everyone it’s Cindy here. Today I’m joining the Hookin on Hump Day blog hop to finish showing you the things I crocheted for my grandnephew Henry Charles. I previously showed you the baby rattles, and more recently the hats and booties I made. This week I am showing you the circular baby afghan I made to complete the set.

Lille Matelassè Circular Baby Afghan

The design is from a collection from Priscilla’s Crochet. She can be found on her website or on Ravelry. This afghan is from her Matelassè collection. I bet you are wondering what “Matelassè” is so here is the designers explanation.

If you’re not familiar with matelassé (pronunciation: må`lå`sã´) fabric, here is one definition:

Definition of MATELASSÉ: a double cloth of cotton or rayon or other fibers woven on a jacquard loom and used esp. for clothing, upholstery, and bedspreads and marked by raised floral or geometric designs with a
puckered or quilted appearance achieved by the interlacing of threads in the weaving or the contracting of threads in the finishing.

Courtesy Miriam Webster Dictionary

My intention while creating these designs was to imitate the feel of beautiful matelassé fabric and to translate that imitation into crochet. I hope you find the resulting patterns satisfying.

Center detail

I picked this afghan because I liked the texture and thought that might be interesting for little hands to explore. I also like to challenge myself and had purchased the matelassé collection initially to make a different afghan. This afghan finished at about 36″ in diameter which was just to gauge. I again used the Bernat Satin yarn and this is the “Sage” color.

Edge detail

I had explored the designers Ravelry page before I started this project and was glad I did. It’s difficult to see from the pictures but the area where the diamond shape is (seen above in the outer ring – before the scallop edge) is actually a series of chains worked in front of double and half double crochet stitches (US terms). Sorry to get all crochet geeky on some of you. It was good to look at some of the other projects from this same pattern on Ravelry before starting my own.

Henry Charles approves

As you can see I think Henry approves! He is such a cutie and a real joy to his parents and grandparents. My sister is lucky to live so close and has been a real help to her daughter and son-in-law.

I have an update on the hats I made for Henry. Either I needed to use a larger hook, larger yarn or he has a slightly larger head than most babies but the hats I made were too tight for him. Well what is a good auntie to do but make a couple more.

New larger hat fits well

I whipped up a couple more hats using a larger hook and in a larger size and the new ones fit. The above hat is the same pattern as one of the previous ones but in the larger size.

New two color hat for Henry

This hat is from the “Cuddle Bug Bunting Set” in the December 2012 Crochet World magazine. The pattern doesn’t call for two color yarns but I thought a solid color would look too boring. I also modified the pattern on this one to be larger than the pattern in the magazine. This one is made a bit longer so you can roll the brim of the hat up.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the baby afghan and new hats I made for Henry Charles.

Hi everyone it’s Cindy here. Today I’m joining the Hookin on Hump Day blog hop to show you some baby hats and booties I made recently. The last time I showed you the baby rattles I made for my soon to be born grand nephew and since that time he arrived! Henry Charles (I’m leaving his last name out) joined his family on January 25 at 12:50 am. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 4 oz. and was 19″. I don’t have any pictures of him yet but hope to share some soon. In case you were wondering the Charles in his name is in memory of the baby’s grandfather (my father) who happened to have the same name as my husband.

This first set (above) is the same color as the afghan I made (to be seen in the next HHOD). The hat pattern is from the August 2008 Crochet World and is part of the “Last-Minute Quick Baby Set”.

The next set the hat is from the December 2010 Crochet World “Baby in Blue” set.

Bernat Satin YarnColors: Silk, Flamingo, Dandelion, Sage, Lavender

All the yarn is Bernat Satin. The booties are the same pattern I have used before and is from the June 2010 Crochet World “Easy Baby Booties”. They really are easy to make and are worked much the same way you do an amigurumi.

Baby hats to donate

Since I have so much yarn left over I’m making more hats and will be donating them to the hospital were my mom had her surgery a few month’s ago. She was on the surgical ob/gyn ward (where mom’s that have C-sections go). The nurses there said the ward with the natural birth mom’s get first dibs on any donated items so I told them I would make some especially for their ward.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the baby hat and booties I made for Henry Charles. Stay tuned for the final installment in a couple of week to see the afghan I made for him.

Hi everyone! It’s Millie & Walter here. We are calling mischief on our secretary, otherwise known as our mom. She didn’t do any posts about our Christmas cards we received all during the holiday season so today we are posting some pictures of the final collection of cards we received.

Wow! This sure is a lot of cards we got.

Glad you could join me Millie.I wanted to make sure our friends knew how thankful we were for all their cards.

We want to thank everyone for all the cards we received this year. We just love seeing all your pictures and pretty cards you send. We especially liked the card that Phenny’s (Angel Easy’s) pawrents sent. You had to fully open it to see the whole scene on it so we put it on one of the shelves so you can see both sides. It’s near the top right of the cards.

This picture was taken a few days before we received even more cards. So here is our final picture of just the cards and the white board where our mom keeps count.

We think the reason our mom didn’t do any posts was because of how pathetic their card count was. Here let’s take a closer look at the white board.

As you can see we really kicked butt on our pawrents. Our dad tried to sneak a few more cards from businesses in but we wouldn’t let him.

Did you notice that cute little elf sitting next to our cards?

Our mom got that from her best customer along with some very delicious cookies. His little “Nice” sign can flip around to show “Naughty” too. We were glad he thought we were nice. One of the cookies even looked just like the elf.

Almost too cute to eat.

Thanks again to everyone that sent us a card both by email and snail mail. We cherish each just the same.

We also want to thank our friends that have started sending us their stamps. That was another thing our mom didn’t do any posts about but we sent a reminder with the cards we sent out. This time we will make sure we tell you all about it. If you didn’t save your stamps from your Christmas cards it is never too late to start. Just save any stamps you get and send them to us whenever you would like. We accept them all year round.

There is all kinds of good stuff in these treats and lots of things they don’t have such as being grain free with no artificial flavors. You can click on the image above to read more or click the link above.

You can see in the above picture that they are even scored so your peeps can break them into smaller pieces. We don’t really recommend that though.

Did you see that? Walter refused to eat them!! As you can hear our dad say in the video, “That is a first”. We don’t know what it is about them he didn’t care for because we have tried other treats with those ingredients and we have tried other Wellness treats and loved them.

Not to worry though because Millie really loved these treats! We have to give these treats 4 paws up (because that is all the paws Millie has) and we recommend them to all our friends.

One of the reasons we chose this treat was because this month Chewy.com is teaming up with WellPet for the “Give the Gift of Wellness” campaign. For every Wellness product purchased through Chewy.com from December 5th – 19th they donated a meal to a local rescue. In addition, for every Wellness Product selected by Chewy reviewers they will donate 5 cases! So even though Walter didn’t like them we helped homeless pets by doing this review and Millie is happy to have the whole bag all to herself!

Disclaimer: We received one bag of Wellness WellBites Grain-Free Lamb & Salmon Recipe Dog Treats from Chewy.com to review. We did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and will receive no additional benefits for barking about the product or the company. The opinions in this review are the honest opinions of ours.

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